News

Jan
06
2015

Travel Tags, Inc. Renews Forest Stewardship CouncilĀ® Chain of Custody Certification

 

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN – January 6, 2015 – Travel Tags, Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of unique gift card solutions, announces the renewal of Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification. Travel Tags is certified through the Rainforest Alliance to FSC Standard 40-004 (FSC® C007066), which allows the company to continue servicing customers who wish to print card carriers and other paper products on responsibly-sourced paper.

FSC certification is unique in that it links the entire forest-product supply stream through the chain-of-custody system – from an FSC-certified forest through processing, manufacturing, distribution and printing to the end consumer.

The standards of FSC-STD-40-004 specify requirements for tracking the management of FSC certified materials throughout the manufacturing process in order to ensure accountability for all use of the FSC certified product. This allows Travel Tags to use the FSC label on its products which are FSC certified.

“Continuing our commitment to FSC certification is a critical part of providing a complete “green” offering in the prepaid card industry,” said Ken Dishno, vice president of operations at Travel Tags, “By maintaining this certification, we are able to provide our customers with an effective tool for collaborating in the responsible usage of our world’s resources.”

 

MEDIA CONTACT:
KATY LASEE | MARKETING DEPT.
651 554 8533
KRLasee@traveltags.com

TAGS:   card manufacturing, FSC, FSC Certification

Jan
16
2015

Inside the Motives of a Gift Card Buyer: Why the Industry Continues to Boom

Gift card spending has grown from $40 billion in 2003 to over $100 billion in 2014, says the Mercator Advisory Group. According to the National Retail Federation’s Monthly Consumer Survey, they have topped the list of most requested gifts for the last eight years. In a newly published whitepaper, Blackhawk Network breaks down the process of gift giving and reveals why gift cards continue to experience such rapid growth. What motivates people to buy them and so eagerly want to receive them?

THE GROWTH OF GIFT CARDS
One of the most popular forms of prepaid products – gift cards – debuted in the 1990s and have enjoyed significant growth over the last decade. As one of the most requested gifts, their growth is expected to continue over the next several years. (see below: Gift Card Projected Growth 2003-2017). Gift cards come in two forms: open-loop gift cards, which carry the brand of a major payment system like Visa, MasterCard or American Express, and closed-loop cards, which are redeemable only at specific retailers.

Research on what makes gift cards so popular is lacking, although according to global prepaid network, Blackhawk Network, there are many studies that detail the specifics of the number, type, occasion and purchase locations related to gift card purchase.

But understanding why people give gift cards can help merchants, program managers and issuers tailor marketing messages and programs to increase sales. Blackhawk first conducted a study in 2008 to investigate shoppers’ motivations for gift card purchases in which consumers were clustered into groups based on their psychological motivations toward gift cards. This study was recently updated to reflect the changes since 2008 and have some surprising findings.

Blackhawk’s survey sample included 3,050 gift card buyers in the U.S., and of the total respondents, 63 percent had purchased at least one gift card in the last year. Respondents were asked about their gift card buying habits, as well as overall attitudes about shopping, online activity, and gift giving and gift cards.

Source: PYMNTS.com, read entire article here.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:
KATY LASEE | MARKETING DEPT.
651 554 8533
KRLasee@traveltags.com 

TAGS:   card services, trends

Feb
25
2015

Travel Tags, Inc Employees Honored with Glen Taylor & Deb Taylor Award

We are pleased to announce that Joe Brinkman, Mechanical Engineer at Travel Tags and Benjamin Ducket, Production Manager at Western Graphics & Data are both recipients of the 2014 Glen Taylor and Deb Taylor Award. Nominated by their business leader, these employees have gone above and beyond to contribute exceptional value to their organizations.


 

“Each year we hear of employees across our family of companies who go above and beyond our expectations – and these individuals demonstrate initiative that improves our ability to serve customers, produce product, or achieve our goals,” shared Deb Taylor. “It is in recognition of those individuals’ efforts we have decided to establish these awards."

Congratulations to all recipients within the Taylor family of companies!

TAGS:   Awards / Recognition, card manufacturing, Taylor Corporation